Functional microsphere preparation device and method based on constrained interface vibration
Through a functional microsphere preparation device based on constrained interface vibration, a piezoelectric nozzle and an excitation power supply are used to control the high-frequency vibration of the internal phase fluid, thereby solving the problem of insufficient flexibility of droplet size in the microfluidic chip microdroplet preparation technology, achieving precise control of droplets and efficient preparation of multilayer microspheres, and reducing costs.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202511009205.0
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-07-22
- Publication Date
- 2025-10-14
AI Technical Summary
The existing microfluidic chip technology for preparing microdroplets has problems such as insufficient flexibility in controlling droplet size and insufficient response speed, which increases the difficulty and cost of preparing multilayer functional microspheres.
A functional microsphere preparation device based on constrained interface vibration is used. The piezoelectric nozzle and excitation power supply are used to control the high-frequency vibration of the inner phase fluid. Through the high-frequency vibration of the tube sleeve and the injection of the outer phase fluid, the precise control and condensation reaction of the droplets are achieved to form a nylon shell.
High frequency and precision of droplets are achieved, and droplets with controllable size and adjustable structure are prepared, which reduces the production and maintenance costs and improves the simplicity of experimental operation and the repeatability of droplet generation.
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Figure CN120771803A_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of functional microsphere preparation, and in particular to a functional microsphere preparation device and method based on constrained interface vibration. BACKGROUND
[0002] Microspheres, as a kind of microparticles with special properties such as high specific surface area and high surface activity, usually have a diameter of nanometers to microns, have the advantages of controllable morphology, good stability, good biocompatibility, targeted delivery, controlled release effect, and are widely used in biological medicine, fine chemical industry and daily life and other fields.
[0003] Multilayer functional microspheres with a shell are more widely used, such as microspheres with a nylon shell, which have uniform size, good suspension, high specific surface area, energy absorption capacity and other physical and chemical properties, and can be used as drug carriers to encapsulate drugs inside the microspheres, control the size and wall thickness of the microspheres to achieve the slow release rate and directional release of the drugs, and improve the drug efficacy and reduce side effects. Nylon microspheres can also be used in water treatment, wastewater treatment and waste gas treatment, such as using nylon microspheres as adsorbents for adsorbing wastewater containing heavy metal ions to improve the treatment effect, and as gas adsorbents to adsorb harmful gases and purify air. At present, most of the multilayer functional microspheres are prepared by using microfluidic chips. The preparation of microspheres by microfluidic chips requires precise fluid control and complex microprocessing technology, which requires high precision and high stability of the processing equipment and fluid control equipment, increasing the difficulty and cost of preparation. In addition, the size of the droplets is difficult to control and not flexible enough in the process of preparing microdroplets by microfluidic chips.
[0004] The existing microfluidic chip-based microdroplet preparation technology has the problems of not flexible enough to control the size of the droplets and not fast enough in response, which provides application scenarios and development space for the development of new functional multishell microsphere preparation process. SUMMARY
[0005] This section aims to summarize some aspects of the embodiments of the present application and briefly introduce some preferred embodiments. Some simplifications or omissions may be made in this section and the abstract and title of the specification to avoid obscuring the purpose of this section, abstract and title, and such simplifications or omissions cannot be used to limit the scope of the present application.
[0006] In view of the above and / or existing problems in the functional microsphere preparation device and method based on constrained interface vibration, the present application is proposed.
[0007] Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present application is that the existing microfluidic chip preparation microdroplet technology has the problems of insufficient flexibility in regulating droplet size and insufficient speed in response, which provides application scenarios and development space for the development of a new functional multi-shell microsphere preparation process.
[0008] To solve the above technical problems, the present application provides the following technical solutions: A functional microsphere preparation device based on constrained interface vibration, comprising a piezoelectric nozzle having a liquid inlet hose connected to one end; the piezoelectric nozzle comprises a protective cover, a piezoelectric actuator and a tube sleeve fixed in the protective cover, and a part of the tube sleeve is located in the piezoelectric actuator; one end of the tube sleeve is a liquid inlet, the other end is a liquid outlet, the inner wall is conical, and it is connected to the liquid inlet hose, and the internal phase fluid is sprayed out of the liquid outlet to form droplets.
[0009] As a preferred scheme of the functional microsphere preparation device based on constrained interface vibration of the present application, the injection pump further comprises a syringe fixed on the injection pump, and the syringe is connected to a delivery channel at the end, and the tube sleeve is located in the delivery channel.
[0010] As a preferred scheme of the functional microsphere preparation device based on constrained interface vibration of the present application, the piezoelectric actuator is fixed with a wire, the end of which extends to the outside of the protective cover and is fixed with an excitation power supply.
[0011] As a preferred scheme of the functional microsphere preparation device based on constrained interface vibration of the present application, the excitation power supply supplies power to the piezoelectric actuator through the wire to make the tube sleeve vibrate at high frequency, and the liquid outlet sprays droplets.
[0012] As a preferred scheme of the functional microsphere preparation device based on constrained interface vibration of the present application, the liquid inlet hose is fixed with a reagent bottle at the end, and the reagent bottle is connected with an air pump through a pipeline.
[0013] As a preferred scheme of the functional microsphere preparation method based on constrained interface vibration of the present application, the method further comprises the following steps:
[0014] The air pump controls the internal phase fluid in the reagent bottle by adjusting the air pressure to continuously fill the piezoelectric nozzle with the internal phase fluid;
[0015] The piezoelectric nozzle continuously sprays the internal phase fluid;
[0016] The liquid outlet uniformly sprays the internal phase fluid through the high-frequency vibration of the tube sleeve;
[0017] The outer phase fluid is injected into the conveying flow channel, the inner phase fluid is sheared and broken into droplets under the action of the excitation signal, the droplets become circular under the action of surface tension, the two-phase fluid occurs condensation reaction on the interface, and the nylon shell is formed.
[0018] The present application has the advantages that: the frequency and precision of the prepared droplets are high; the flow of the fluid can be accurately controlled, so that droplets with controllable size and adjustable structure are prepared; and the experimental operation is simple, the solvent is simple to prepare, and the production cost, maintenance cost and process requirements are greatly reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed in the embodiment description will be briefly introduced as follows. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor. Among them:
[0020] Figure 1 A scene diagram of the functional microsphere preparation device and method based on constrained interface vibration.
[0021] Figure 2 A process diagram of printing a nylon shell to wrap the functional microspheres for the functional microsphere preparation device and method based on constrained interface vibration.
[0022] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the principle of printing high-precision droplets by constrained interface vibration for the functional microsphere preparation device and method based on constrained interface vibration.
[0023] Figure 4 A display diagram of the printing ability of droplets of different sizes for the functional microsphere preparation device and method based on constrained interface vibration.
[0024] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the piezoelectric nozzle structure for the functional microsphere preparation device and method based on constrained interface vibration. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0025] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.
[0026] In the following description, many specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present application, but the present application can also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar generalizations without departing from the connotation of the present application, therefore the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.
[0027] Second, the "one embodiment" or "embodiments" referred to herein are intended to encompass a particular implementation of the present application, which can include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic. However, such a particular implementation can not be the only implementation to encompass the present application. Other implementations of the present application can be similarly constructed without employing the same particular features, structures, or characteristics.
[0028] Embodiment 1
[0029] Referring to Figure 1 and Figure 5 , the first embodiment of the present application provides a functional microsphere preparation device and method based on constrained interface vibration. The functional microsphere preparation device based on constrained interface vibration is packaged in a protective cover 201 by a sleeve 203 and a piezoelectric actuating device 202; the right end of a delivery flow channel 105 is a liquid inlet end, and a liquid inlet hose 101 is connected to the liquid inlet end; the left end of the delivery flow channel 105 is a liquid outlet end, and liquid is sprayed through a liquid outlet 2032; a wire 106 is connected to an excitation power supply 107;
[0030] The delivery flow channel 105 is a hollow pipe, one end of which is connected to a syringe 104 on a syringe pump 103; the other end is provided with an opening in the vertical direction and is connected to a piezoelectric nozzle 200; a bent channel is provided in the delivery flow channel 105 as a main flow channel; an external phase fluid is located in the syringe 104 in the syringe pump 103, and an internal phase fluid is located in the piezoelectric nozzle 200; the inert oil does not react with the internal and external phase fluids;
[0031] The piezoelectric nozzle 200 is controlled and driven by the excitation power supply 107;
[0032] The syringe 104 is controlled and driven by the syringe pump 103; the gas pump 109 controls the flow of fluid in the reagent bottle by adjusting the air pressure; the internal phase fluid is delivered into the delivery flow channel 105 by the piezoelectric nozzle 200;
[0033] The internal phase fluid can be a dicarboxylic acid solvent and a functional reagent, and sodium alginate and a suspension liquid are water-soluble functional reagents;
[0034] The external phase fluid can be a diamine solvent;
[0035] Before the external phase fluid flows into the delivery flow channel 105, the delivery flow channel 105 needs to be filled with inert oil or other protective liquid to avoid direct contact between the internal and external phase fluids, generate a nylon layer on the surface of the piezoelectric nozzle 200, and block the nozzle, resulting in the piezoelectric nozzle 200 being unable to normally spray the internal phase fluid;
[0036] The inert oil is not soluble with the internal and external phase fluids and the functional reagent;
[0037] The internal phase fluid generates droplets 102 in the inert oil before the external phase fluid fills the delivery flow channel 105.
[0038] After the inner phase fluid is stabilized with the inert oil liquid, the outer phase fluid is introduced into the delivery channel 105 through the injector 104 on the injection pump 103;
[0039] The outer phase fluid continuously fills the delivery channel 105, and the initial protective inert oil liquid is flushed away;
[0040] When the outer phase fluid fills the piezoelectric nozzle 200, the outer phase fluid and the inner phase fluid begin to undergo polycondensation reaction, the inner phase fluid is sheared into droplets 102, and the droplets 102 become circular under the action of surface tension;
[0041] The polycondensation reaction continues, and the desired nylon shell is formed, providing effective protection for the internal functional medium.
[0042] The injection pump 103 is a Leever TYD01-01 type, and the excitation power 107 is a YK_HA130D type.
[0043] Example 2
[0044] Referring to Figures 1-5 This is the second embodiment of the application, which is based on the previous embodiment.
[0045] Specifically, it should be noted that the geometry of the delivery channel 105 in the mechanism is not limited, which can be linear, curved, etc., the position of the inner phase fluid inlet is not limited, and the material of the delivery channel 105 is not limited, such as organic glass, special rubber, glass steel, etc.
[0046] The inner phase fluid inlet and the outer phase fluid inlet are arranged in the delivery channel 105; the injector 104 is connected with the outer phase fluid inlet in the delivery channel 105; the piezoelectric nozzle 200 is connected with the inner phase fluid inlet in the delivery channel 105; the reagent bottle 108 is connected with the piezoelectric nozzle 200 through a pipeline, so that the inner phase fluid fills the piezoelectric nozzle 200.
[0047] In this embodiment, the air pump 109 controls the internal phase fluid in the reagent bottle 108 by adjusting the air pressure, so that the internal phase fluid is continuously filled into the piezoelectric nozzle 200, and the piezoelectric nozzle 200 continuously sprays the internal phase fluid; after the excitation power supply 107 is energized, the piezoelectric nozzle 200 obtains high-frequency vibration through the wire, causing periodic disturbances at the liquid-liquid interface at the nozzle. When the vibration frequency reaches a dynamic equilibrium with the fluid inertia and surface tension, capillary waves break at the interface to form a stable jet. By precisely controlling the vibration parameters, frequency, amplitude, waveform, and fluid properties, viscosity, and surface tension, the jet is split in the constrained flow channel near the nozzle. The jet diameter can be significantly smaller than the nozzle size. For example, a 100μm nozzle generates 1-5μm droplets. The viscous resistance of the external phase fluid inhibits jet diffusion, while the inertial force of the internal phase fluid promotes its tensile fracture, which can achieve active regulation of the droplet size and adjust the size and structure of the generated droplets. By controlling the stroke, linear velocity, and accuracy of the syringe 104 through the operating interface of the syringe pump 103, the flow rate of the external phase fluid can be precisely controlled.
[0048] At the beginning of the experiment, the delivery channel 105 is first filled with an inert oil that is insoluble in the external phase liquid. If the internal phase fluid directly contacts the external phase fluid, once the experiment is interrupted, a nylon solidified layer will quickly form at the interface between the two, that is, at the nozzle of the piezoelectric nozzle 200, causing the nozzle to be blocked and affecting the normal generation of subsequent droplets 102. For this reason, an inert oil is used as a buffer medium to allow the internal phase fluid to pre-form stable microspheres in the oil phase environment, thereby avoiding accidental deposition of the nylon layer.
[0049] After the external phase fluid enters the flow channel, the inert oil is gradually flushed and replaced to ensure that the two-phase fluid reacts only under controllable conditions. This strategy effectively prevents nozzle clogging, ensures the stable operation of the experimental process, and improves the repeatability and accuracy of droplet 102 generation. Therefore, filling the inert oil first and allowing the internal phase fluid to generate microspheres in the inert oil can effectively avoid the above situation.
[0050] The inner phase fluid ejected by the piezoelectric nozzle 200 is in contact with the inert oil. By controlling the interface vibration intensity, the size of the droplet 102 is controlled. As the droplet 102 gradually stabilizes, the outer phase liquid in the syringe 104 is also injected into the droplet 102 delivery channel. The outer phase liquid is continuously filled along the pipeline. When it is filled with the inner phase liquid introduced by the piezoelectric nozzle 200, the two phases of liquid undergo a condensation reaction at the interface, and the inner phase fluid is sheared and broken into droplets 102. Under the action of surface tension, the droplet 102 becomes round, and the target nylon shell can be formed, which can provide effective protection for the functional medium inside.
[0051] When the functional medium is a certain drug, the microspheres with nylon shell can be used as a drug carrier to wrap the drug inside the microspheres, and the size and wall thickness of the microspheres are controlled by controlling the size of the piezoelectric nozzle 200, the fluid surface tension between the inside and outside, and the viscosity-density, so as to realize the slow release rate and directional release of the drug, improve the drug efficacy, and reduce the side effects.
[0052] It should be noted that the above examples are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application and are not limited. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the technical solutions of the present application can be modified or replaced by equivalents without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present application, which should be covered in the scope of the claims of the present application.
Claims
1. A device for preparing functional microspheres based on constrained interface vibration, characterized in that: include, A piezoelectric nozzle (200), one end of which is connected to a liquid inlet hose (101); The piezoelectric nozzle (200) comprises a protective cover (201), a piezoelectric actuator (202) and a sleeve (203) are fixed in the protective cover (201), and a portion of the sleeve (203) is located in the piezoelectric actuator (202); One end of the pipe sleeve (203) is a liquid inlet (2031), and the other end is a liquid outlet (2032). The inner wall is conical and is connected to the liquid inlet hose (101). The inner phase fluid is sprayed out through the liquid outlet (2032) to form droplets (102).
2. The functional microsphere preparation device based on constrained interface vibration according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a syringe pump (103), a syringe (104) is fixed on the syringe pump (103), the end of the syringe (104) is connected to a delivery channel (105), and the end of the tube sleeve (203) is located in the delivery channel (105).
3. The functional microsphere preparation device based on constrained interface vibration according to claim 1, characterized in that: A wire (106) is fixed on the piezoelectric actuator (202), an end of which extends to the outside of the protective cover (201) and is fixed to the excitation power supply (107).
4. The functional microsphere preparation device based on constrained interface vibration according to claim 3, characterized in that: The excitation power source (107) energizes the piezoelectric actuator (202) through the wire (106), causing the sleeve (203) to vibrate at a high frequency, and the liquid outlet (2032) to spray liquid droplets (102).
5. The functional microsphere preparation device based on constrained interface vibration according to claim 1, characterized in that: A reagent bottle (108) is fixed to the end of the liquid inlet hose (101), and the reagent bottle (108) is connected to an air pump (109) through a pipeline.
6. A method for preparing functional microspheres based on constrained interface vibration, characterized in that: The device for preparing functional microspheres according to any one of claims 1 to 5 further comprises the following steps: The air pump (109) controls the internal phase fluid in the reagent bottle (108) by adjusting the air pressure, so that the internal phase fluid is continuously filled into the piezoelectric nozzle (200); The piezoelectric nozzle (200) continuously sprays the inner phase fluid; Through the high-frequency vibration of the pipe sleeve (203), the liquid outlet (2032) evenly sprays the internal phase fluid; The outer phase fluid is injected into the delivery channel (105), and the two phase fluids undergo a polycondensation reaction at the interface. The inner phase fluid is sheared and broken into droplets (102). Under the action of surface tension, the droplets (102) become round, forming a nylon shell.